


"Occasionally By the Way"

by farad



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen, Mag7 Bingo Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 02:24:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11431191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: For Kayim's awesome Mag 7 Bingo card, Row 1, Column 1: Nettie: guns and alcohol





	"Occasionally By the Way"

**Author's Note:**

> No specific time period relative to the series, though that may change with the next four stories that will be related to this one. Special thanks to the awesome Jojo for beta-ing; all mistakes are my very own.

“ _The world is a gambling table so arranged that all who enter the casino must play and all must lose more or less heavily in the long run, though they win occasionally by the way_ _”_ \- George Bernard Shaw

 

 

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

 

She stared at him, barely holding on to her temper. She’d seen more than enough violence in her life, and no little of it was due to drunk men doing stupid things. Some of them her own damned boys.

 

“It’s never supposed to be like this,” she said, her voice sounding sharp to her own ears. “How much did you drink?”

 

He drew in a breath, long and slow and stalling. His eyes were wide but unfocused, and she shook her head, trying to keep her attention on the blood that was dripping on her floor. She knew there was no point in being angry – not now, anyway. The pain and the fear were distracting him – just as they were distracting her.

 

“Not enough,” he answered, and despite herself, she grinned.

 

“No, I reckon not,” she said, pulling out her linen drawer to find a clean – but not too dear – set of cloths.

 

The wound wasn’t too bad, the bullet grazing his shoulder but not penetrating. It had done that to the side of her barn, going straight through one wall and into a support beam before finally catching in the far wall. The wood splinters had hit the horses and almost caused a stampede; fortunately, only Blackfoot, the colt who wasn’t yet a gelding, managed to break open his stall door and run out of the barn into the corral.

 

Vin and Casey were out trying to get him calmed down now. Vin was also keeping an eye on Casey, to make sure things were all right.

 

Buck, and Josiah had gone after the men who had done this. The men who had come after Ezra because they thought he had cheated them. Which he probably had, damn him.

 

With that thought, she pressed hard on the wound – probably harder than warranted, but there was certain satisfaction in hearing him groan at the pressure. JD had gone to fetch Nathan and Chris, who had not been part of the group here to help with the fencing repair. All she had to do was keep the bleeding down until Nathan got here. Though she didn’t think this was a situation she couldn’t handle.

 

“How much did you take them for?” she asked, watching as the blood soaked through the cloth.

 

“I did not ‘take them’ for anything,” he said, his voice laced with irritation. “They were such poor gamblers that it was an insult to play them. As it happens, I did not get as much from them as I could have – and you see what that favor has wrought. Cretins.”

 

Nettie shook her head, annoyed with his attitude. But there was a twinge of something else, too, not respect, per se, more like surprise. He had some sort of ethics, it seemed. Some sort.

 

But then, from what she’d heard and seen of his mother – well, it was a surprise he had any at all.

 

“So you led them out here because you knew the others were here?” The blood was slowing which she took as a good sign.

 

“I was unaware that they were after me until I was already on my horse. It seemed wiser to come where I knew there were more weapons against them, yes. I do apologize for the inconvenience.” The last was said with a dryness that made her smile, despite herself. And with the humor came a quelling of some of the anger.

 

“You’re right about that,” she conceded. “Here, hold this while I get another cloth.”

 

She noticed that his hand trembled a little as he lifted it to replace her hand. She moved off to the sink and pumped the water handle, drawing up a rush of cool, clear water which she captured in a pitcher. She took it and a mug back to the table, filling the mug and placing it near him. “Probably need this,” she said as she moved back to the cloth drawer.

 

As she worked, she heard voices in the yard, Casey and Vin. Casey’s was still sharp and hard, a sign that she was still worried, but Vin’s voice as lower, trying to calm her. He was a good one, that boy.

 

But then, for the most part, they all were. Even the one sitting here, bleeding all over her floor. It’d take her about a year or so, but she’d come to understand that not many of them had had mothers to guide them along in life, and those that had, their mothers had had a hard time of it.

 

Maybe even the Standish woman, though Nettie had to work hard to allow that. As she walked back to her patient, she asked, “Your ma teach you how to do what you do?”

 

His eyes were closed and his forehead lined, probably from the pain. But he blinked to look at her, and she noticed that his hair was mused and out of place, one strand curled on his forehead. It made him look young – and a little like her second boy, Franklin, the one who had died in the War. He’d had green eyes, too, though not as green as these.

 

“It depends on what you mean by ‘do what I do’,” he said, his voice tight. “She taught me how to make money. She taught me how to survive.” He arched an eyebrow and his face took on a little more color. “I suspect that it is the same thing you have done for your children, isn’t it?”

 

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she caught them, thinking past his tone to what he was actually saying. “Your father wasn’t about?”

 

Ezra blinked, then he looked away. His face didn’t change, but something in the way he moved made her think that she had hit a nerve – a very painful one.

 

She turned away, opening her mouth to change the subject but he spoke before she could find words.

 

“He died when I was young. He was a doctor, and he felt the need to treat sick people.” His tone was bitter, but there was something else under the words, an edge of pain that let her know that this was something he still struggled with.

 

It was a tone she knew well, one she heard too often in Casey’s voice.

 

Maybe that was what did it for her. She walked to a corner cabinet, one that she didn’t open too often, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. It wasn’t a particularly good one – she used it for making fruitcakes at Christmas – but it was passable. As she turned back to him, the bottle in hand, she said, “Hard to be a woman alone in the world, with a child to raise.”

 

He took a deep breath, but he didn’t look at her. “I gather as much.” It was a noncommittal answer, one that told her a lot about him. He loved his mother, but in some ways, he, too, was unsure. He only knew what she had told him. And in some ways, he doubted it.

 

She put the bottle on the table and said, “It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing. You might want to save what’s in your flask for when Nathan gets here.”

 

He frowned, looking at the bottle and then looking up at her. He was confused, that was clear in the crinkling of his eyes. And she suspected that she knew why. Part of her wanted to let him think on it, but she also appreciated that he was so much like her boys, who had never understood her, either.

 

“Thank you,” he said after a time. “It is a help. I will reimburse you for the - “

 

“Hush now,” she said, waving a hand. “Like I said, it’s better than nothing – but maybe not by much.” To prove her point, she pulled the cork from the bottle and poured some into his cup. Then she reached across the table to one of the cups in the shadowbox on the wall – a pretty little teacup that had been her mother’s. She poured a jigger into it and picked it up, careful of the fragile porcelain handle, and turned toward him. “To your health – literally.”

 

He nodded to her as he took a sip. He didn’t wince at the taste though she knew it wasn’t as good as what he was used to.

 

But then – how did she know? She’d always assumed, because of his fancy clothes and his general demeanor, that he was used to having money and to living without having to work. But she’d seen him in the thick of things in town, a good shot with a gun, and, when it came down to it, a brave man who undertook risk. She’d heard things about him, things that she’d considered foolish – but things that had ultimately saved the lives of townsfolk and the other six.

 

She took a sip as she thought and winced; she wasn’t accustomed to strong drink, not even this cheap whiskey. Though she wasn’t a teetotaler, she’d not had more than a glass of beer or wine from time to time, usually at Christmas. The whiskey was on hand for baking and for preserving the cakes.

 

And, as now, the periodic medicinal need.

 

“Thank you,” he said, closing his eyes. The lines around his eyes seemed to be sharper now, as if the pain were setting in. He took a long slow breath, then he swallowed. He took another sip of the whiskey and again he did not wince. After a time, without opening his eyes, he said, “You have chosen to live out here, at the outskirts of the town. Away from other people.”

 

Nettie considered his words, knowing that they were true. “We worked this land for decades. Hard to raise horses and grow food if you’re surrounded by other folk. I do like company from time to time – be a liar if I said otherwise. But I lived here, working this land for a long time and a lot of it, yes, alone. After my husband died, for a couple of years it was just me and the critters.”

 

“And then Casey came along?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking at her. There was something there, a calculation that she saw but didn’t understand.

 

She held his gaze and considered her words, knowing that he had some intention but not able to see what it was. “Her folks died – my youngest son and his wife. They died of yellow fever, out in California. Casey was with a neighbor so she didn’t take it, thank the good Lord.”

 

He smiled, a thin slash of his lips, which were looking a little blue. The cloth on his wound was thick with blood and she moved to get another one. As she did, she went on, “I reckon you’ve got a point to these questions? Most of this you know already – never kept any of it secret, no need to.”

 

He took another sip of the liquor before answering, and while he didn’t swallow right away, she knew that his hesitation wasn’t from the taste so much as from consideration of his next words. His voice was low and even when he spoke. “You chastise me and my mother for our profession, the one that she taught me.” His words faded into a hiss as she pushed his hand away from the cloth he was holding. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto his white shirt – not that it was going to matter overmuch; the rips in the shirt would be difficult to repair and the shirt would never look the way it had, and she doubted that even repaired enough to wear, if it would suit this man.

 

“Not sure ‘chastise’ is what I’m doing,” she said, pressing the clean cloth against the wound. The bleeding was slowing, but it was taking its own sweet time. Be nice if Nathan got here soon. “Don’t rightly approve of gambling – betting hard-earned money on chance is a stupid thing to do.”

 

“And yet,” he said, his voice tight, “you are willing to bet your life and Casey’s. Every day. Is that not gambling, with far higher stakes than a few dollars?”

 

Nettie stared down at him, the anger hot on her tongue. She started to speak, but too many words fought for attention, giving him the chance to keep on.

 

“You live out here where men like Guy Royal can ride onto your property at any time, taking your horses, threatening Casey’s purity and both of your lives – was that not the situation surrounding our introduction to you and Casey? Protecting you from losing your property – which I believe was where I came into it – as well as your lives?”

 

Most of the words in her mouth dried up, but one lone thought managed to slip free. “No one asked you to help us.”

 

Ezra made the smile again, his lips a little more blue, and said, “That is not true, of course, but that is also not my point. My point is that you gamble as well. What if I had been in no way involved with those men and they had still made their way in this direction? What if they had seen your horses, or Casey, and decided that they wanted them? And before you argue that this is sheer speculation, I understand that such things have happened before. Is that not what the notches you so proudly display on the stock of your rifle represent?”

 

She wanted to slap him. But she had learned long ago to control her anger, and more, she had learned how to reach past it and actually listen. And his words did make sense. Damn him.

 

She reached down and caught his hand again, pulling it back up to hold the new cloth. “Being able to take care of yourself isn’t the same as gambling.”

 

He tilted his head to look up at her, arching one of his fine eyebrows. “Isn’t it? As I have said to you before, I abhor gambling, and as such, I leave nothing to chance.”

 

“So you cheat.” But as soon as she said it, she knew what he would say. It was the logical continuation of the point he had just made about her – and one that now made sense to her.

 

“Was it cheating when you – sorry, Vin – took money from me to pay off your debt? As I know that you had no knowledge of what he planned to do, and therefore, it was not your decision, let us take another example: was it cheating when you came into town and talked to Mary, knowing that it would bring the situation to the attention of Chris and the rest of us? Did you use what you knew to your advantage – and in the doing, secure your future and that of Casey, despite that fact that you chose to live out here and put her in danger from men like Guy Royal or even these raiders who chased me down?”

 

It wasn’t the same thing – she knew it wasn’t. This was her land and her life and she had fought most of her adult life for it.

 

But it wasn’t Casey’s fight. And he was right about the danger Casey had been in.

 

About gambling that she would always be able to keep Casey safe.

 

‘ _Save the last one for yourself._ ’

 

Her husband had said those those words to her more than once. And she had said them to her children, in the days when the closest town had been twenty miles away and they were, for all intents and purposes, on their own.

 

In the days before her children and left – in the days when there had been five or six of them able and willing to wield a gun and defend the land.

 

In the days before it was just her, out here, trying to keep the farm going. Casey – Casey had been a Godsend. But what sort of life was this for a girl, alone? Especially now.

 

He was right. She was gambling. And she wasn’t doing it well.

 

“My mother – well, I think that if you think about it, you will realize that you are not too different. You both want to take care of your children in the best way you know. And you both have learned to depend first on yourselves and your own abilities. That is always – well, a gamble. But you have learned to be a good shot and to count on your gun. My mother had . . . similar beliefs.”

 

He leaned forward and made as if to rise, but that movement alone washed what little color he had away and he swayed.

 

She reached out and gently drew him back to the chair. “Sit still, you’re in no shape to be moving around. I have no inclinations to explain how it is that you came to be stretched out on my floor, bleeding all over my good carpets – blood will never come out of that, as you well know.”

 

She held him in place but also managed to refill his glass from the bottle. As she did, she went on, “You might be right. I hadn’t thought about it before and I have to say that I need to think on it more now. I’ve never been accused of risking the lives of the people I care about before – not carelessly. And maybe that’s not what you really mean, though it is the sound of it.”

 

He settled back into the chair and reached out a shaking hand to take the glass. But he didn’t pick it up, letting his hand settle as he said, “We all gamble, every day of our lives. Coming West was a gamble, and staying here even more so. Especially for people who bring loved ones. In fact,” he hesitated, wrapping his fingers more tightly around the glass. The shaking lessened, though some of the whiskey did slosh over and onto his hand. “In fact, my mother did not come west until after I did. She was convinced it was a deadly place – no place for women with children. You can fault her for many things, but she did not put my life at risk. No, I did that all on my own.”

 

“And ours,” she added, though it was without heat. “Today.”

 

He nodded once, then slowly picked up the glass. “And again, my apologies. But I felt I had little recourse.”

 

She sighed, knowing he was right. In more ways than one. “Reckon I’d have done the same in your place. In fact, I do come into town when I fear trouble.”

 

Before either of them could say more, Vin called out, “Nettie? Y’all okay in there? Ezra holding up?”

 

“I am still aware, Mr. Tanner,” Standish called back though his voice was not strong. “Mrs. Wells has been most hospitable.”

 

The door opened and Vin peered in before stepping across the threshold. “Horses are settled, though I ain’t sure about Casey. I sent her back out to the barn. You might want to send her into town tonight – let her calm down before she throttles someone.”

 

Nettie almost laughed. Vin was like Casey’s pa – direct but easy-going. Though he was closer in age to Casey than to Nettie’s own children.

 

“I suppose,” Standish said, “that ‘someone’ might be me?”

 

Vin closed the door and walked further into the room, coming to stand close to Nettie. She could smell the sweat and horse on him, but it was a familiar smell, the smell of hard work and care. “Looking a little peaked there, Ezra,” he said, frowning. He looked to the wound, where blood had once more filled the cloth.

 

“Nothing that Nathan won’t be able to repair,” Standish said.

 

“I see Nettie got her whiskey out,” Vin said, looking away from the wound and toward Nettie. He arched one eyebrow in question and she shrugged.

 

“Seems a good way to help the pain,” she said, holding up her own cup with one hand and aware that she was still pressing on the bandage with the other. “You in any pain?”

 

Vin chuckled, a low sound that Nettie had come to love. “Reckon I got an ache somewhere – maybe where Casey punched me in the arm a little while back.”

 

Nettie tilted her head toward the kitchen and said, “Fetch your own glass. You can give us a hand here with the bandage.”

 

“Indeed, Mr. Tanner,” Standish said, “I should appreciate more aid from someone who is also annoyed with me for this evening’s fiasco.”

 

Vin chuckled again as he walked away and Nettie wondered how she could get him hitched to Casey instead of that boy-child Casey had taken to. He came back with a glass jar and she shook her head, considering sending him back to get a decent cup or glass. But before she made up her mind, Ezra said, “Are you planning to hoard it for winter? If you aid me with this injury, I promise that I will buy you a bottle of your very own.”

 

“Nah,” Vin said, holding out the jar toward Nettie. “Afraid I’ll do some damage to the good china and all.”

 

Despite herself, Nettie grinned. Vin could always do that to her. She poured him a measure of the brandy then held out her cup to them both. “To doing the best we can.”

 

Standish looked at her and a slight smile crossed his features. “Indeed, madam. The best we can.”

 

She felt Vin looking from her to Standish and back, but he didn’t say anything, simply nodding and drinking.

 

Nathan arrived soon after, shaking his head and muttering as he cleaned and stitched the wound. “You ain’t riding tonight,” he said as he wrapped wound. “Don’t want those stitches to tear – and you’re looking a little lightheaded.”

 

“I assure you, it is this very potent medicinal liquor that Mrs. Wells has so graciously provided - “

 

“He can stay in Casey’s room,” Nettie said, talking over Ezra. “She can stay at Mary’s tonight.” She cut her eyes to JD who was suddenly grinning – until he saw her glaring at him.

 

“I ain’t leaving Blackfoot,” Casey said shortly, and Nettie had the momentary pleasure of seeing JD’s face fall.

 

“I can sleep in the barn with the horses,” Vin said from his seat at Nettie’s table. “Was thinking to stay anyway, in case we get more trouble.”

 

Casey frowned, JD looked relieved, and Standish started to protest.

 

Again, Nettie cut him off. “Thanks, Vin. I’d appreciate it. Nathan, can you get Casey and JD back to town?” Chris had ridden off to find Buck and Josiah.

 

Nathan and the kids, as she thought of Casey and JD, left soon after they had settled Ezra in Casey bed, despite his protests. Vin went off the barn to make up a bed in the loft, and to do a final check on the animals. She knew he wouldn’t sleep well, not until Chris and the others returned, and she suspected to find him perched on the porch for much of the night.

 

She blew out a few of the lamps in the kitchen, started to put up the bottle of whiskey but decided instead to leave it corked but on the table, just in case.

 

Before going to her room, she looked in on Standish one more time, not surprised to find him propped up on the pillows, and despite his protests that he would hardly be able to, he was sound asleep.

 

In the spare light of the lamp they had left on the dresser, he looked pale and drawn, and so much younger than she was accustomed to. His hair was more mussed and there was bruise growing on one cheek, probably from when he’d fallen off his horse.

 

As if feeling her gaze, he shifted and made a low noise that was not quite a moan. His eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, and she saw his instant confusion. She stepped into the room, into the light of the lamp, and said softly, “Didn’t mean to wake you. Just checking to see if you needed anything.”

 

She didn’t think about it, as it was a habit almost as old as she was, reaching to the bed and drawing up the blankets, smoothing them around him. He flinched as she picked them up but settled as she worked, looking up at her. “Thank you,” he said, his voice husky from sleep. “I do appreciate your kindness.”

 

Nettie straightened up and shook her head. “Reckon all us gamblers have to look our of each other.” She brushed the hair off his forehead and patted him on the head as she said, “You call if you need anything. I’m right next door and I suspect Vin will be on the porch for a while.”

 

He nodded but didn’t say anything, his eyes already closing.

 

It was in the wee hours when she woke to the sound of horses hooves on the road. She had slept in her dress and left her hair up, so she didn’t have to do anything but grab her shotgun and slide into her boots before getting to the front porch where she met up with Vin, his own gun already in his hands. But he held it loosely as he said, “Chris and the others. Couple of extra horses which means they found the guys who shot Ezra.”

 

She wondered how he knew, but she didn’t doubt him, and with good reason. Within minutes, riders emerged from the shadows, picking up the pale light of the half moon. Josiah and Buck easier to recognize that Chris, whose black cloaked him like the night itself. Three other horses were there, two with riders and one with a body.

 

Vin stepped off the porch as the horses came to a stop and Chris asked, “How’s Ezra?”

 

“Sleeping,” Nettie said, coming to stand at the end of the porch close to them. “Nathan wanted him to go easy tonight, make sure those stitches take.”

 

Chris nodded up at her. “Thanks for taking him in,” he said.

 

“That all of ‘em?” Vin asked, looking toward the men they’d captured. “Seemed like more.”

 

“These were the main ones,” Chris said shortly, and Nettie noticed that he didn’t answer the question.

 

Vin noticed it too, she could tell from his frown, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he said, “Think they’ll be more trouble?”

 

Josiah was the one to answer. “Don’t think so. The others were pretty upset about what happened. Seems they hadn’t planned on things getting so . . . out of hand.” He glanced over his shoulder, toward the horse carrying the body, and Nettie understood what he meant: the others might have been in it for a lark, maybe to scare Ezra, but not to hurt anyone. Certainly not to get in a gunfight with trained gunmen.

 

Kids, probably, like JD.

 

Vin drew in a breath and looked past the horses down the road. “All the same, reckon I’d best stay here and made sure they don’t have second thoughts. Still got some work to do tomorrow anyway.”

 

“Keep an eye on Ezra?” Chris asked, and there was a sort of worry in his voice that surprised Nettie.

 

Vin grinned, his teeth catching in the moonlight. “That, too,” he said. “Reckon he can stand some rest. You might send JD back in the morning to check on things.”

 

Buck spoke up for the first time, which was surprising now that Nettie noticed. Usually he was right in there, talking over everyone else. “One of us will ride out early – me or JD. Casey in town with Mary?”

 

“She better be,” Nettie said sharply, looking at Buck. She knew how he was, and knew the influence he had on that boy.

 

Buck held up a hand, and she had the sense that he was biting his tongue. That, too, was odd; he was a lot like Vin, usually one of the last of them to lose his temper.

 

Josiah spoke first, his tone pleasant but firm. “It’s been a long night and we need to get back and get these boys settled.”

 

Buck snorted, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he turned his horse first and started back down the road, leading one of the prisoners with him.

 

Josiah touched his hat and said a genial, “Good night,” as he, too, turned and started away, leading the horse with the dead body.

 

Chris was the last and he actually nudged his horse forward, coming up close to Vin and leaning down to talk. Their voices were low and quick, then Chris sat up, looking at Nettie and also touching his hat as he said, “Don’t think they’ll be a problem, but we’ll be around. These men were mostly blowhards who got pissed off because they drank too much. We’ll pay you for keeping Ezra -”

 

“You’ll do no such thing,” she interrupted, irritated. “Now get on home to bed. We need to do the same.” She shook her head and turned to go back in, then another thought occurred to her and she turned back in time to see Chris and Vin looking at each other, and both of them grinning. Until they realized she had turned back.

 

She glared at Chris, and cut her eyes to Vin who was looking away, out toward the barn.

“If you want to do something,” she said, speaking slow so that there could be no misunderstanding, “make sure that Casey doesn’t come back unless it’s safe. I can gamble with my own life – been doing it for years. But I got no right to gamble with hers.”

 

She felt the change in them, in the way that Vin straightened and Chris tilted his head, looking right at her, but at an angle. After a few seconds, he said, “All right. I don’t think we’ll see a problem – Josiah seems pretty sure about it, and mostly, these guys are stupid, drunk, and scared now – but we’ll keep a sharp eye on things for a few days, keep Casey in town with Mary, and Vin out here with you.”

 

She noticed that Chris hadn’t asked Vin, but apparently didn’t need to; Vin was nodding his head and he’d taken a tighter grip on his mare’s leg.

 

“Appreciate it,” she said, relaxing.

 

Chris touched the brim of his hat and moved off, leading away the other man who never looked at Nettie. Vin stood still, waiting until they were out of sight, before he turned back toward her. His eyes glinted in the moonlight and he said quietly, “You think it’s a gamble staying out here? You seen trouble you ain’t told me about?”

 

She looked up at the moon and thought about it, thought about what Standish has said. “No, but I didn’t see what happened today coming either. I don’t fault Ezra for it – what he did was smart and I’d have been right angry if he’d done something different, knowing that most of you were here, and you could help him out. You should always look to family first to help you out, and that’s what he did.”

 

“So you think on hin as family?” Vin asked. His tone was mild, as if they were talking about the weather.

 

She sighed and looked at him, catching sight of his eyes in the shadows of his face. “He’s saved your life, hasn’t he? Saved the others? Reckon he’s earned some rights. Yes, he’s family. Don’t want him marrying Casey – hell, I ain’t sure I want any of you doing that, though I’d rather you thought on it than anyone else -” She held up a hand as he stepped back and away, waving one hand and bringing his gun close to his chest - “but mostly I figure he did the same thing I’d want you to do or any of the others. Come to a place where you have protection.”

 

Vin stood for a few seconds, then he stepped forward, closer to her. “I do think I’d have done the same,” he said quietly. “If they’d been looking for me.”

 

She knew he was talking about that damned bounty. And she also knew that she’d have killed any man coming after Vin, if she’d had the chance. “If you didn’t, I’d track you down and make you a notch in my Spencer Carbine – though I’d have shot you where you couldn’t sit down for long time.”

 

He laughed, sincerely amused, and she couldn’t help but grin as well.

 

“Get back inside, old woman,” he said fondly. “Best sleep while we can.”

 

“You sleeping on the porch or in the barn?”

 

He shrugged. “Gonna walk around for a bit. See where I settle.”

 

The porch then. But she knew it would do no good to argue with him. She’d make a pot of strong coffee first thing.

 

It was mid-morning, the sun bright in the sky but not yet overheating the landscape when she came into the kitchen from the hen house and found Standish sitting at the table with a mug of coffee before him. He was dressed insofar as he could be, his vest and jacket on over the bandages and his gun belt at his waist, and his hair was damp and in place, though she could tell he had used his fingers to set it as close to right as possible. “Mrs. Wells,” he said as she put the basket of eggs on the counter. “I wish to thank you for your hospitality.”

 

“You’re up awful early,” she said. She’d expected him to sleep most of the day. And though he was put together, she could see the dark circles under his eyes and he was still unusually pale. “You in pain? Nathan left some willow bark tea which I can brew up.”

 

“That is most kind of you,” he started and she could tell from the tone of his voice, all formal and polite, that he was going to refuse, so she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

 

“You’re not going anywhere, not today, so you may as well be as comfortable as possible.” She moved over to the kitchen stove and opened the fire gate, stirring the coals and adding more wood from the box beside it. She didn’t make it a large fire – too damned hot for that – but big enough to heat the cast iron plate above it, which currently held the coffee pot. She set it aside and reached for a pot of water that always sat nearby, putting on to heat, and then reaching for a small frying pan. She’d cook up some ham earlier, feeding herself and Vin, and she’d left the grease to use for cooking now.

 

“I was unaware that I was being held captive,” he said, a slight edge in his voice.

 

“Not captive,” she said, grinning as she moved back to the egg basket and picked out the two largest ones. “Putting you to work – well, as much as you can. Chris and the others caught up with most of the men who were after you, but a couple got away. Josiah seems to think they will not be a problem, but until things get settled out with the ones in the jail – and the one at the undertaker’s – it seems best that a couple of you stay here, in case those other two come back. Vin’s out working on the barn, patching up the damage done yesterday. Reckon you can stay about the house and keep an eye out while you’re recovering your strength.”

 

“Ah. That is to be my penance?” he asked, though the edge was gone from his tone.

 

“Figured you’d prefer it to doing manual labor, seeing as how you’re a gentleman and all,” she said, referring to a comment he had made the first time he had come out to her place. The grease from the ham was warming up, giving the kitchen a pleasant smell. She reached for another basket, pushed aside the cloth cover and pulled out two biscuits, setting them on the stove to warm. Soon, the smell of bread added another layer to the atmosphere. She picked up the coffee pot and turned toward him, thinking to refill his mug. He sat with his eyes closed, as if he were in pain. “Ezra?” she asked, worried.

 

He blinked and looked at her. “My apologies for that poor behavior,” he said, still formal. “I had no right to -”

 

“Hush now,” she said, relieved. “Bygones are bygones. Here, have some more coffee. When the water gets to a boil, I’ll set the tea. For now, this will have to do – though it might be strong enough to put your teeth on edge. I made it a while back – not the first pot this morning, Vin and I drank that one already, but it’s been sitting for a time.”

 

He nodded and pushed his mug toward her then nodded his thanks as she refilled it.

 

“How do you like your eggs?” she asked, turning back to the stove.

 

“However you wish to cook them,” he said softly.

 

“Well, now,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as she cracked the first egg and dropped into the frying pan, “that hardly seems like the Ezra Standish I know. Did you hit your head last night, too?”

 

He sighed. “I do not like being in debt, madam,” he said, still quietly. “And while I appreciate your attempt to make me feel useful, you and I both well know that I am of little use at this moment.”

 

“Little, perhaps, but that’s more than none. And right now, Vin and I aren’t leaving the property and you’re not able to ride alone, so you’re going to have to sit tight, at least for a while. One of the others will be out later to check in and see how you’re doing. You want to go back then, that’s up to you. For now, you’re here and I’m cooking you breakfast and if you don’t speak soon, you’re going to have fried eggs because it’ll be too late to do anything else with them.”

 

Which, he did, but that was what he said he preferred.

 

She left him eating and with a cup of Nathan’s tea steeping beside him. She had other things to do as well – beans didn’t pick themselves, nor weeds dig themselves out of the ground.

 

To his credit, he spent the day on the porch, in one of the larger rocking chairs. He drowsed a lot, which he needed, but he also drank Nathan’s tea without verbal complaint (though he did wrinkle his nose) and accepted the various things that she handed him to eat as he could.

 

Nathan rode in mid-afternoon, Casey and JD with him. Casey was worried about her horse, and she came in full of steam, but after a while in the far field with the horses, she came back smiling.

 

“He’s still pretty weak,” Nathan said, coming out of the house and onto the porch where Nettie was talking to Casey, Vin, and JD. “Think he should rest a while longer, but he thinks he’s taking advantage.”

 

Nettie shook her head, irritated. “Hard-headed fool,” she said, and she glared at Vin as he grinned. “Just like the rest of you, it seems. Casey, go pick some tomatoes and beans to take back with you to Mary’s – least we can do is send some food. There’s some ham in the smoke house, too – JD, do something useful and fetch a piece – and get one with enough fat on it to cook well.” She turned and started into the house, then she turned back quickly, in time to catch the exchange of grins between Nathan and Vin. “Nathan, get yourself out to the garden and get what you need. There’s squash which I know you like and Josiah knows how to fry, so get enough for the both of you, and beans and tomatoes as well. As long as Nathan and the kids are here, you,” she pointed a finger at Vin, “could get us some venison for dinner, or a wild turkey. I’m right tired of ham and chicken.”

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Vin said, not even pretending to hide his laughter.

 

She closed the door with enough force to let them know she was annoyed and stalked through the house to the closed door of Casey’s room. She started to push it open but caught herself; this wasn’t Casey, after all.

 

“Ezra Standish,” she called loudly. “Are you decent?”

 

Instead of answering, she heard him walk to the door then he pulled it open. “I am dressed,” he said, and he was. “Is there a problem?” He had his hand on his pistol, and he was more alert than she had observed so far today. He looked past her, one foot in the doorway as if to run out into the yard.

 

“Only you,” she said, though she stepped back. She also put her hands on he hips and stared at him. “You are not taking advantage – as I told you this morning, you have a purpose here, one that you seem to understand.” She gestured toward his hand on his pistol. “Nathan says you are still weak, and I agree with him. So sit yourself back down on the porch and stop worrying about unnecessary things.”

 

His eyes widened, but she didn’t give him time to argue, turning and going back toward the porch.

 

Outside, she saw that the others were scattered about, though Casey, JD, and Nathan were in the part of the garden closest to the house. Behind her, she heard Ezra walk onto the porch, his steps slow. He stood for a time, long enough for her to point out to Nathan that the squash that was ready to be picked was three rows over, and to remind Casey, as she should have known, that the beans were on the farther side of the garden.

 

She went for the tomatoes, picking a dozen of the ripest and putting them in her apron before turning back toward the house. Ezra was sitting on the porch, his hat on the back of his chair and his feet propped on the top of the wooden container that housed her kitchen herb garden.

 

Nathan and the kids left soon thereafter, laden with food. Nathan gave her parting instructions, most of which she knew already – keep an eye out for a fever, as that would indicate infection, give Ezra lot of water and tea, if possible, and feed him anything he would eat. The usual things to watch out for, which she knew.

 

“I suspect he’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Nathan said, “but you might want to try to get him to stay until one of us gets out here ride back with him. Don’t want him falling off his horse.”

 

“Of course not,” she agreed. “I may bring him myself – need to pick up some things that Gloria has for me.” Nathan nodded and mounted his horse. As he turned it toward the road he called to Ezra, “Get some rest, drink lots of water -”

 

“I am certain Mrs. Wells will keep me in hand,” Ezra said. “Was that not your objective?”

 

Nathan laughed and urged his horse into a trot, to catch up with JD and Casey who were well ahead.

 

Nettie turned and walked back to the porch. As she stepped up on it, she said, “Nettie.”

 

He frowned. “Beg pardon?”

 

“I believe we are past the point of formality. My name is Nettie. Everyone here calls me that, and you should as well.”

He frowned up at her from his seat. “I appreciate your kindness, but -”

 

“You’re sleeping in my house, eating my food, and if need be, you’ll be protecting it. In the heat of battle, best you call me by a name I recognize, don’t you think?” With that, she walked past him into the house, setting out to get dinner ready.

 

Vin returned a while later with a deer he took to the back smokehouse and dressed. He brought her a good-sized roast, calling to her from the porch as he was heading on to the creek to clean up. “You want a bath, Ezra?” he asked as he put the roast into the pan she was holding.

 

“The offer is most tempting,” Ezra said, “but as I am here to protect the premises, I believe that I should remain here while you are away.”

 

“He doesn’t need to take a chill, either,” Nettie said, frowning at Vin. “You get on and stop tempting him to more injury.”

 

Vin grinned but turned and headed toward the barn where his saddlebags were.

 

While the roast cooked, she got the horses in, moved the cows to the pasture by the barn, got the chickens in and closed the roost, and did the usual things that had to be done in the evening. Vin came back from his bath clean and wet, his long hair dripping on his clean shirt, and he helped out as well, feeding the horses and cows.

 

Ezra, she noticed, slept through it all. A sure sign that Nathan had been right.

 

He woke when they got back to the house, blinking in the late afternoon sun that streamed onto the porch.

 

“Just in time for supper,” Vin said, nodding to Ezra. “You wanna wash up while we get it on the table?”

 

Ezra had trouble getting to his feet, so Vin offered an arm while Nettie went in to set the table. She made sure the whiskey was on the table, more for Vin than for Ezra.

 

Nettie and Vin talked over dinner, as they usually did when they were together. Ezra was quiet, but sociable, pleasant but reserved. He ate well, generous with his compliments, and he was not averse to having a measure of whiskey at the end of the meal.

 

When Vin stepped out to relieve himself, Ezra turned to Nettie and said, “Again, I am in your debt. I have done very little today to be of any aid, yet you have fed me well, provided me, yet again, with a bed, and generally been – well, a friend. I apologize for the words I said last night.”

 

Nettie looked at him and shook her head. “Don’t apologize for speaking the truth. You were – are – right, Ezra. I do gamble with Casey’s life – hell, even with the lives of my friends, like you, Vin, Josiah, the others. I know there is danger – those two men could come back, looking to even the score for their dead friend. And while I did send Casey into town, I have stayed here, and so have you and Vin. So you’re putting your lives at risk for me – taking a gamble for me.”

 

Ezra shook his head but he smiled. “I believe that this is what family does – or so I am told. They take you in when no one else will, isn’t that the case?”

 

She reached over and patted his hand. “That is indeed the case.”

 

He looked at her for a long moment, then he said very softly, “That is my mother’s belief. It was one that made us . . . unpopular at times.”

 

Nettie watched him, holding her tongue. It wasn’t easy, but then, she knew this wasn’t easy for him.

 

“I . . . I was not close to most of my family. In the wake of the War, most of the relatives had lost quite a bit and were struggling themselves. My father’s family was doing better than my mother’s, but not by much. Mother remarried – often – but that did little to improve our lot, as the first few men that she married seemed to think she was bringing fortunes to them, not the reverse. She is a smart woman, though, so it did not take her long to find a way to turn those expectations to our advantage.”   


She looked at him then said, “You and your mother?”

 

He nodded as he went on, “My father’s parents and sister as well. Mother – well, she knew how to appeal to people, what to say. She worked in my grandfather’s business, making deals and helping to sell the crops my grandfather’s land produced. Her work benefited all of us but more was needed, especially after my grandfather died. So my mother began to do the other thing that she did well.”

 

Maude thought for a second and understood. “So the gambling wasn’t just for the two of you.”

 

Ezra shook his head. “We both still send money to my grandmother and – well, home. Though I have not been there in years. Please do not get me wrong. I love my grandmother, and my aunt. But . . .”

 

“But you only go there when you have no choice, because they have to take you in.”

 

He looked away but nodded.

 

“And getting close to people – finding new family – makes you worry that you’ll come to feel the same about them?” She pushed the whiskey toward him, knowing that he already needed it.

 

He looked at his glass, finished off what was in it, then picked up the bottle. As he added more to his glass, he said, “One can never find new family – blood is blood.”

 

“True,” she said. “But we can find people who we’d rather have as family than the ones we have.” As she said it, she wondered where Vin was. He’d been gone for a while now.

 

He smiled at her and raised his glass in a sort of salute. “Indeed, we can. I thank you for your kindness and your hospitality. I shall endeavor never to need it again.”

 

She laughed and picked up her own glass, lightly touching hers to his. “I hope you never have to. But it’s here if you do.”

 

There were steps on the porch and then Vin pushed through the doorway and into the house. “Thought you might have had a fox sneaking about, out near the hen house. I walked around the barn and smokehouse, just to be sure.”

 

Nettie nodded and smiled, reaching out to push the bottle toward him. “Thanks. Never want a fox among the chickens.”

 

“No,” Vin agreed. “Never that.” He didn’t look at Nettie because he was pouring whiskey but she saw the twitch at the corners of his lips that told her he had caught her point. And that he had heard some of what Ezra had said, probably enough to send him on his fox-hunting walk.

 

Ezra went to bed soon after, and Vin helped her wash the dishes and clean up. They had done this before, so it didn’t take long. As he dried the last serving dish, she asked, “You planning to sleep on the porch again?”

 

“Maybe one more night,” he said, putting the dish in the cupboard then hanging the drying towel on the back of one of the chairs. “Don’t want those boys to have a chance to rethink their agreement with Josiah. Figure if they’re going to, it’ll be tonight or tomorrow.”

 

She patted him on the arm. “You’re a good man, Vin Tanner.”

 

“Good enough to be family?” he asked with a grin.

 

She chuckled. “Maybe even better than that.”

 

The night was quiet, which she didn’t get to appreciate it until the next morning when she work to the sounds of birds singing and the first rays of dawn creeping through the curtains of her room. She was going to be damned happy to sleep in her night gown, and with her hair down, she thought as she sat up in the bed and pushed back the quilt.

 

She washed up, changed into clean clothes and took the time to brush her hair and pin it back up. She did need to go into town later so best to go ahead and be ready. Coffee was already brewing, a sign that someone – most likely Vin – was already up. The leftover roast from the night before was already warming in the oven, near the rekindled fire, and biscuits were in the warming pan, toasting.

 

The boy knew his way around a kitchen, she’d observed more than once.

 

The smell of coffee and meat soon carried through the house and out. She could smell them as she collected the morning’s eggs, and as she made her way back to the house, stopping to pick a couple of ripened tomatoes, she saw Vin coming from the barn. “You get any sleep?” she called by way of greeting.

 

He walked toward her, getting closer before he said, “Quiet night. Got the horses out and the cows into the next pasture. Getting about time to figure out what you want to do with the boys, though.”

 

“I know. I’ll talk to Tiny this afternoon, see what he thinks about selling them or fixing them. Money would be nice, but I’m not short at the moment, so might be good to feed them out.”

 

“If you’re heading into town, check with Chris, see what’s what. Tell him I’ll be out here a few more days. Reckon you’re taking Ezra back into town?”

 

“I believe I can do that on my own,” a new voice said as Nettie pushed the door open to go in. Ezra sat at the table, a cup of coffee before him. As with yesterday, he was cleaned up and put together, though it was far earlier today and he looked a lot better than he had yesterday.

 

“Yep,” Vin agreed, nodding to the other man. “But probably better if you don’t pull on those stitches. Seeing as Nettie’s going into town anyway, you can ride along. Her old buckboard ain’t too bad.”

 

Ezra frowned but instead of arguing, he asked, “Do you think it’s necessary for you to stay longer? If so, perhaps I should as well, as any danger is due to my actions.”

 

Nettie put her basket on the counter and turned toward him, but Vin spoke first. He didn’t look at Ezra as he was pouring coffee into two mugs. “It’s safe enough,” he said, “safe as it ever is, anyway. I’m gonna try to finish the fencing on that new section while the ground ain’t too hard. Figure we got a couple of days before the ground really dries out.”

 

She looked at Vin, frowning. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can get to it -”

 

“You can,” he agreed, “but not before the ground gets too hard. You need that pasture if you’re going to keep them steers. Besides,” he grinned, holding out a mug to her and then reaching for her thick pot clothes, “I got some venison stew coming my way. Can’t leave before you get to that.”

 

She shook her head but smiled, watching him pull the warmed up roast from the oven.

 

The conversation while they ate was congenial; Ezra offered to help Vin with the fence, which made Vin grin and Nettie glare at him. “Kind of you to offer,” she said, annoyed, “but the last thing I want is Nathan Jackson blaming me for you hurting yourself worse than you already are. You’re riding with me back to town, where he can keep an eye on you.”

 

“But -” He started, holding up one hand. “I assure you, I can -”

 

“Thanks, Ezra,” Vin said quietly. “What Nettie means is that she appreciates your offer and that when you’re healed up, we’ll take you up on it. Always need more fencing done.”

 

Ezra looked at Vin and Vin nodded. Nettie studied the two men, Ezra mostly, and saw something she hadn’t seen before: he was serious. Serious and sincere.

 

She drew a breath and said, “Vin’s right. I’ll be glad to take the help with you’re up to it. Same wages he gets – food and board.”

 

Ezra looked from Vin to her and though he arched an eyebrow, she saw his shoulders relax. “The food is certainly above average, though I should appreciate a higher quality of whiskey.”

 

Nettie glared at him. “Is that so?” she said, ignoring Vin’s snort of amusement. “And I suppose that sleeping in the barn is too good for you, too, is it?”

 

Ezra shrugged, using his fork to spear another bite of venison. “That would depend on the necessity of my staying. While I should be glad to on some nights, there are other nights when . . .” He hesitated then looked Nettie in the eye. “There are other nights when I should be in town, as I do have other means of acquiring money, and I do have obligations for that money.”

 

She smiled at him and reached across the table, patting his hand. “Have to play the hand you're dealt, I guess. What would us old women do without you young men to take care of us?”

 

Ezra slowly smiled, his gold tooth catching the morning sunlight. “Indeed,” he agreed. “Indeed.”

 


End file.
